Crawford downcast

The Clippers' super sub wanted to play with teammates Blake Griffin and Chris Paul this Sunday in Houston during the All-Star Game.

Crawford's one of the most talkative players in the team's locker room, and no matter the question, he's willing to answer.

Except for this. This still hurts too much.

“I'm not ready yet,” he said with a smile.

Instead of shaking and baking in Houston, Crawford said he'll head back home to Seattle to spend time with family and friends.

He'll also watch Eric Bledsoe on Saturday night in the dunk contest and Paul and Griffin in Sunday in the game.

But will it be harder to watch when Crawford feels like he deserves to be there?

“Yes,” he said. “That, I can answer.”

Crawford's put together one of the best stretches of his season over the past 10 days. In the five games before Wednesday, Crawford averaged 22.2 points on 53.7 percent shooting from the field — including 45.2 percent from 3-point range.